Finley Stadium
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| Finley Stadium Davenport Field | |
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| Location | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Owner | City of Chattanooga |
| Operator | City of Chattanooga |
| Surface | AstroTurf Gameday Grass |
| Construction cost | $28.5 million |
| Tenants | Chattanooga Mocs (NCAA) (1997-Present) NCAA Division I Football Championship (1997-Present) |
| Capacity | 20,668 |
Finley Stadium Davenport Field is the home stadium for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team, the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game,[1] UTC soccer, and various high school sports and musical concerts. It's located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The stadium, which opened in 1997, has a current capacity of 20,668.
The stadium is named in honor of the late W. Max Finley, former chairman of the Rock Tenn Corporation, who was an active supporter--and alumni--of the University of Tennessee system.
The playing field is named in honor of the late Gordon Lee Davenport. The President and CEO of the Krystal Company from 1975-85 served as Chairman of the Stadium Corporation and Campaign and worked endlessly and tirelessly in the planning and actual development of the facility.
Bronze busts of both Finley and Davenport adorn the main entryway to the stadium.
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[edit] History
In 1997, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program said goodbye to historic Chamberlain Field and ushered in a new era for both the University and the city. On Oct. 18, 1997, the Mocs opened up their new home, Finley Stadium Davenport Field, as an overflow crowd of 22,646 watched UTC defeat Tennessee State 28-7.
The 20,668-seat state-of-the-art facility is the best of its kind among Division I FCS stadiums and is the crown jewel for the city's Southside revitalization project.
A stadium project for UTC and Chattanooga had been talked about by city leaders for quite some time before the dream came to fruition. Chamberlain Field on the UTC campus, which opened in 1908, had the distinction of being the second-oldest on-campus stadium in the nation. Officials agreed that something needed to be done. A facility was needed to take the UTC football program to a higher level and to elevate the city's status to a full-service, mid-sized city.
The $28.5 million project needed supporters to become a reality and got plenty of them. Donations from the private sector ranged anywhere from a 10 dollar bill to $1 million. In fact, nearly 40 percent, or $10.2 million of the project, came from private donations. The City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County contributed $13 million, the State of Tennessee gave $3.5 million and the University donated $2.9 million.
Ground breaking on the site that was once the Rock Tenn plant was held March 7, 1996. Seven months later, the Stadium Corporation named the facility Finley Stadium Davenport Field.
The Stadium Corporation left nothing out of its masterpiece. The facility, designed by Derthick, Henley & Wilkerson and built by C&I Specialty, both of Chattanooga, contains 32 luxury sky boxes and 3,465 preferred seats with chairbacks. The $350,000 scoreboard includes a giant matrix screen, and the Stadium Club can hold 250 for pregame or postgame functions. The press box can hold 60 media representatives, has three radio booths and a television broadcast booth. Identical home and visitors locker rooms contain a separate training area and coaches locker room, as well as an extensive player locker area.
Adjacent to the stadium is the First Tennessee Pavilion. The old Ross-Meehan Foundry has been renovated into an open-air pavilion which has become a favorite for tailgaters, complete with food and beverage concessions and a children's area. The pavilion offers tailgaters a perfect atmosphere around the stadium while providing protection from the weather without being indoors.
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